October 2019 GOOD NEWS GAZETTE Volume 11, Issue 10

1st. Perhaps, you were taught to think of saints as statues in a church build- ing. But the Bible teaches something completely different. Who is a saint? AllAll Saint’sSaint’s DayDay You are. That is if you’re a follower of Jesus. God calls a “saint” anyone who trusts in Christ alone for salvation. See MeaningMeaning andand HistoryHistory Acts 9:13, 26:10, Romans 8:27, and 1 Corinthians 1:2.

Sainthood isn’t given by a group of byby AlexAlex CrainCrain religious leaders. It’s granted by God Himself to any common, salt-of-the- earth person who simply trusts Christ November 1st is All Saints Day! This Eastern Catholic churches observe (1 Corinthians 1:2). Words matter. And ceremonial event is a day that we All Saints Day on the first Sunday fol- sowing confusion about good, bibli- praise all the saints – known and un- lowing Pentecost. cal words like “saint” is not from God. known! To honor All Saints Day, please The gospel message is that God the join us in reading or saying this quick The Christian festival of All Saints Day Son came to earth, lived a perfectly devotion: Dear God, praise you for comes from a conviction that there is obedient life, died on the cross to pay giving us the glorious example of the a spiritual connection between those for our sins (Romans 5:1), and rose Saints. I aspire to meet their company, in Heaven and on Earth. In Catholic again proving His atoning work was praising you forever in Heaven. Please tradition, the holiday honors all those complete (Romans 4:22-25). Saints are help me to follow in their footsteps, who have passed on to the Kingdom those who give up the anti-faith alter- and yours, Jesus Christ. Please help of Heaven. It is a national holiday in native of trying to please God by their me to submit myself to Your call, seek- numerous historically Catholic coun- good deeds and, instead, trust Christ ing Your order in all things, just as the tries. In Methodist tradition, All Saints alone. Scripture says that the person Saints did. Please help me to commit Day relates to giving God earnest gratitude for the lives and deaths of myself to Your glory, and to the ser- Continued on page 3 vice of my neighbors. Amen. his saints, remembering those who were well-known and not. Addition- What is All Saints Day? ally, individuals throughout Christian All Saints Day, also known as All Hal- history are celebrated, such as Peter Table of Contents: lows’ Day, or Hallowmas, is a Chris- the Apostle and Charles Wesley, as tian celebration in honor of all the well as people who have personally Women’s Ministry ...... 2 saints from Christian history. In West- guided one to faith in Jesus, such as ern Christianity, it is observed on No- one’s relative or friend. Men’s Ministry ...... 3 vember 1st by the Roman Catholic Church, the Methodist Church, the In addition to weekly worship gather- Bible Reading...... 4 Lutheran Church, and other Prot- ings, “All Saints Day” annually reminds estant denominations. The Eastern us of our connectedness as Christians. Calendar ...... insert Orthodox Church and associated It’s commemorated every November

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W October 2019 1 Corinthians 10:13: …And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.

God Will Help you Resist WOW Miss Blunt In a culture filled with moral depravi- It’s here! Women of the Word recom- ty and sin-inducing pressures, Paul menced on October 2. We continue gave strong encouragement to the with Nancy Guthrie’s Seeing Jesus in Corinthians about temptation. He the Old Testament. The third book in Dear Miss Blunt: My son has be- said: (1) wrong desires and tempta- this series — “The Son of David: See- come a practical joker and nobody tions happen to everyone, don’t feel ing Jesus in the Historical Books” — but him seems to think it’s funny. Last you’ve been singled out; (2) others takes us through Joshua, Judges, Ruth week at school he put a big, plastic have resisted temptation, and so 1 and 2, Samuel 1 and 2, Kings, Ezra, spider in a girl’s hair and laughed at can you; (3) any temptation can be Nehemiah, and Esther. As usual we her when she freaked out. His bud- are meeting on Wednesdays at 10:00 dies joined in and the poor girl was resisted because God will help you. a.m. in the church sanctuary. If you humiliated. Another time he took He will teach you to recognize those some of the ketchup packets in the people and situations that give you would be interested in an evening cafeteria, spread ketchup all over his trouble. He will prompt you to run session of the same study, please hands and staggered down the hall as from anything you know is wrong contact Trudy Cravens. though he’d been wounded. Kids and choose to do only what is right. were frantic but he cracked up with Ask God to help you seek friends who Lost and Found hilarity. Then yesterday he managed love Him and who can help you stand While out looking for a wayward to put one of those whoopie cushions firm whenever you are tempted. God lamb, a devout old shepherd lost his on the chair of the school librarian. precious Bible. No amount of search- That one finally earned a trip to the intends for you to have victory. principal’s office for him and a stern ing found it and he finally gave up. It phone call from the school for me. was a great loss. That old Bible with Prepare Ye the Way What can I do? —Not Amused its words of encouragement had Are you aware that the motto of carried him through thick and thin. Dear Not Amused: You can have a lot Dartmouth College is: “The voice of Three weeks later, as the shepherd of fun, that’s what. Get an airhorn or stood watch, he spotted an old sheep a shrill whistle and when it’s time for one crying in the wilderness”? At ambling up the path toward him. As him to get up for school in the morn- first, this seems to be an odd choice ing let her rip with the loudest noise for a motto, but on further reflection the sheep came alongside the shep- possible. Get one of those ghoulish, it is highly appropriate. It is a Bibli- herd noticed it was carrying the lost rubber masks and wake him up in the cal quotation which continues— Bible in its mouth! He couldn’t be- middle of the night with growling “Prepare ye the way of the Lord.” lieve his eyes! He took the book, sounds. Make his lunch sandwich So, in the wilderness of prejudice raised his eyes heavenward and ex- with dogfood. Be sure you laugh at and falsehood, lift up your voice for claimed, “Praise God! It’s a miracle!” him uproariously after each incident. tolerance and truth. In the wilder- “Not really,” said the sheep. “Your The little blighter needs a dose of his name is written inside the cover.” own amusement. ness of cynical materialism, speak out for ethical idealism. In the wil- Mark Your Calendar Editor’s note: Sad to say, Miss Blunt, derness of self-centered apathy, pre- though perhaps a little extreme, may pare ye the way of sensitive loving- Ruth Circle have the right idea. The Bible teaches us kindness! to “Do unto others as you would have them do to you.” Perhaps Not Amused’s WOW son may benefit from a little “done unto Seen on a Church Sign Wednesday mornings, 10 to 11:30 , you” to give him some perspective. in the sanctuary.

Searching for a new look? Kitchen Angels If you would like to consult Miss Blunt for Last Saturday of the month. Sign-up her advice, feel free to contact her at We offer faith lifts. [email protected] list in the West Wing.

  WOMEN’S MINISTRY, HANSVILLE COMMUNITY CHURCH Continued from page 1 of faith actually becomes the very righteousness of God (2 Cor. 5:21)! October 2019 Through the channel of human faith (the means of salvation) we become united to Christ (the source of salva- tion) and we are saved from God’s MEN’S BIBLE STUDY judgment as well as from the futile way FELLOWSHIP meets on Tues- of life that we naturally follow (1Peter days at 7pm in the church office. 3:18). In other words, we are granted Continuing on studying the “Life sainthood! Skeptical? Think about of Jacob,” embracing God’s faith- this: if God calls the worldly, sinning fulness. Led by Audie Wallace believers in Corinth “saints”—and He and Herman Ross. does in 1 Corinthians 1:2—couldn’t He call you a saint as well? Friend, anyone who trusts in Christ alone for salvation Pantheon church. Since there were Saints Day to think of and give thanks is a saint in God’s sight. too many martyrs for each to be given for as many Christians from the past a day, they were lumped together into as you can remember, whether they Relation to Halloween one day. In the next century, All Saints are famous or not, especially if their Dressed as Dracula or as devils, neigh- Day was changed by Pope Gregory III lives and teaching contributed some- borhood children will be happily to today’s date – November l. People thing to yours. “trick or treating” on October 31st in prepared for their celebration with a the United States and some other night of vigil on Hallows’ Eve – Hallow- Alex Crain is editor of Christianity.com. countries. But would it surprise you to een (possibly because of the strong He serves as pastor of worship minis- know that “Halloween” (by that name) holdover influence of the Celtic Sam- tries at Harvest Christian Fellowship in started out as a holy Christian celebra- hain festival which many Christians the Richmond, VA area. tion? in Ireland, Britain Scotland and Wales had continued to observe). Hallow, in Old English, means “holy” Name Change or “sacred.” Therefore, “Hallows’ Eve,” In the 10th century, Abbot Odela of or “Halloween” simply means “the the Cluny monastery added the next The evening of holy persons” and refers day – November 2nd – as “All Souls” “Twin Spits Bible Study” to the evening before All Saints Day, Day” to honor not just the martyrs, group has changed their name which is this day, November 1 on both but all Christians who had died. Peo- to Anglican and Catholic calendars. Hal- ple prayed for the dead, but many “The Good News Fellowship.” loween is a mixture of Celtic religious unchristian superstitions continued. ideas and Christian martyrology. People in Christian lands offered food Join us at 5pm the to the dead – as it had been in pagan 1st and 3rd Thursday Meaning and Origin of All Saints Day times. The superstitious also believed of each month at the home of In the early years when the Roman Em- that on these two days, souls in pur- one of the groups members for pire persecuted Christians, so many gatory would take the form of witch- soup and bread, martyrs died for their faith, that the es, toads, or demons and haunt per- followed by Bible study Church set aside special days to honor sons who had wronged them during them. For example, in 607 Emperor Ph- their lifetime. As happens so often in All are welcome and because ocas presented to the pope the beau- Church history, sacred Christian festi- food is prepared RSVP is a tiful Roman Pantheon temple. The vals can absorb so many pagan cus- must. At the Good News pope removed the statues of Jupiter toms that they lose their significance Fellowship’s next meeting we and the pagan gods and consecrated as Christian holidays. will start our study of the book the Pantheon to “all saints” who had of Joshua. Watch the bulletin died from Roman persecution in the But think of it positively. Who are your first three hundred years after Christ. favorite heroes in Christian History? for location and the Many bones were brought from other Can you think of any whose example RSVP telephone number. graves and placed in the rededicated has inspired you? Why not use All